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What is Stevia?

Known by the official taxonomy name of Stevia rebaudiana, stevia is a herb in the Chrysanthemum and daisy family that grows naturally as a small shrub in parts of South America. The plant, at its full maturity, reaches a height of close to three feet. The green leaves of this plant contain large amounts (up to 5 percent of dry weight) of stevioside, a sweetener estimated to be 300 times as sweet as table sugar. The glycosides in its leaves, including up to 10% Stevioside, account for its incredible sweetness, making it unique among the hundreds of species of Stevia plants.

At least 150 species of Stevia are believed to exist in North and South America. The Guarani Indians of South America call this herb "Ka-Hee," and these South American natives have enjoyed the benefits of Stevia for centuries. In a study done in 1982, more than 110 species of Stevia were tested for their sweetness. Stevia rebaudiana was found to be the sweetest, although 18 other species were found to also exhibit a sweet taste. It's quite possible that other species in the future could be found to have chemicals that are as sweet as Stevia rebaudiana. The researchers in the above study mention an interesting observation. They found fragments of a 62 year-old leaf that exhibited potent sweetness. This indicates that the chemicals within this herb are very stable and have the ability to withstand time and drying.

Stevia been used in food applications first, as a prepackaged replacement for sugar and artificial sweeteners. Second, it has been used in various food products, including the Japanese sugar-free versions of Wrigley's gums, Beatrice Foods yogurts and even diet Coke. It has also been used in Japanese style pickles, dried seafoods, fish meat products, vegetables and seafoods boiled down with soy sauce, confectioneries and a host of other products. Stevia is able to perform a number of other beneficial tasks. For example, it has been shown that Stevia may enhance moods and increase energy levels and mental alertness. The cosmetic industry also employs the use of Stevia in many of the available skin care products. It has been shown to reduce the appearance of skin blemishes when applied topically.

What is Stevia used for and who uses it?

Stevia is used where a natural herbal sweetening agent is desired without calories or blood sugar effect. This means anyone trying to avoid sugar, hypoglycemics, diabetics, dieters, over-active children, and any other person or group concerned about the over use of sugar in today's diets and prepared foods. Because the human body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides (they pass right through the normal elimination channels) from the leaf or any of its processed forms, the body obtains no calories from Stevia. Whether these products are called Stevia, Stevioside, Rebaudioside, Stevia Extract, or Stevia Concentrate, if they are in their pure unadulterated form they do not adversely affect blood glucose levels and may be used freely by both diabetics and hypoglycemics. For people with blood sugar, blood pressure or weight problems Stevia is the most desirable sweetener. The 90% stevia extract powder you'll receive is 250 times sweeter than sucrose (sugar). Stevia has no calories, does not affect blood sugar (zero glycemic index) and is safe for those with blood sugar swings, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia and diabetes. An important benefit for hypoglycemics is Stevia's tonic action which enhances increased energy levels and mental acuity. It may be added to beverages and other foods to taste.

Studies have also indicated that Stevia tends to lower elevated blood pressure but does not seem to affect normal blood pressure. It also inhibits the growth and reproduction of some bacteria and other infectious organisms, including the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. This may help explain why users of Stevia enhanced products report a lower incidence of colds and flu and why it has such exceptional qualities when used as a mouthwash or added to toothpaste. Many people report significant improvement in oral health after adding Stevia concentrate to their toothpaste and using it, diluted in water, as a daily mouthwash.

Stevia is an exceptional aid in weight loss and weight management because it contains no calories and reduces one's craving for sweets and fatty foods. Hunger sensations are lessened when stevia is taken 20 minutes before meals. Preliminary research data indicates that Stevia may actually reset the hunger mechanism in people where the pathway between the hypothalamus and the stomach has become obstructed. If so, Stevia would help people to feel satiated sooner, helping them to eat less. Other benefits of adding Stevia to the daily diet include improved digestion and gastrointestinal function, soothed upset stomachs and quicker recovery from minor illness. Users have also reported that drinking Stevia tea or Stevia enhanced teas helped to reduce their desire for tobacco and alcoholic beverages.

Overall, Stevia is 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, with minimal aftertaste. Stevia extract has no calories and is suitable for diabetics and those with high blood pressure. Children can use stevia without health concerns and it does not cause tooth cavities. Stevia extract is a great alternative to synthetic sweeteners, and it can also be easily blended with other sweeteners, such as honey. Stevia is already widely and safely consumed in many countries around the world for decades. Aside from the benefits already mentioned, Stevia is also heat stable and thus could be used for cooking and baking. Although this remarkable, no-calorie sweetener is not yet a household name unfortunately, it is well on its way to becoming very popular since Coke and Pepsi will be using extracts in their drinks. With all its advantages over conventional and other artificial sweeteners we strongly believe that eventually stevia will be one of the most popular and widely used no-calorie sweeteners in the world. With the availability of stevia extract there seems to be little reason to use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.

How pure is your Stevia?

This Stevia Powdered Extract 90% Steviosides is assayed by the manufacturer to be 90.37% steviosides and 31.6% Rebaudioside A. You will receive a sealed and labeled heavy duty 4 mil polyethylene bag containing this white powder product. Stevia can replace sugar in the diet because refined sugar is virtually devoid of nutritional benefits and, at best, represents empty calories in the diet. At worst, sugar has been implicated in numerous degenerative diseases. Stevia is much sweeter than sugar and has none of sugar's unhealthy drawbacks. This stevia powder is the very same highly concentrated and completely undiluted 90% stevia extract powder as extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant. Our product does not contain any fillers, additives or anti-caking agents. If all you want is to take advantage and reap health benefits made possible with the use of Stevia, buying this product in bulk is the best way to get there. Buying in bulk is also your best bet for saving money because for sure you’ll pay more at a local nutrition store. Bulk costs are cheaper in the long run and you will receive a great deal at or below wholesale prices for a high purity bulk quantity of this product.

Since Stevia does not taste exactly like table sugar (sucrose), as a very concentrated sweetener, the common mistake that some new Stevia users make is that they use too much stevia to replace their normal use of table sugar. Stevia is extremely sweet, but when attempts are made to approximate the sweetness of sugar the tendency is to use too much stevia and then there is a potential for an overwhelming sweet result in which the subtle and less desirable aftertaste of stevia becomes more prominent. If you are new to the use of stevia we recommend that you first purchase a small amount of full-strength stevia from your local nutritional supplement retailer and then decide whether or not this highly concentrated stevia 90% extract is right for you. The stevia that we have is as good a tasting product as any full-strength stevia on the market, but if you have never tasted or tried using full-strength stevia previously you should only purchase the smallest amount possible so you can test whether or not this very concentrated stevia 90% extract is right for you without having to risk a major investment in a large amount of stevia. We do sell a small PureBulk Nutrition 25 gram full-strength stevia sample bag that you might consider as your first purchase if you are new to stevia.

What are some of the common effects of Stevia?

The advantages to stevia are numerous, so the following are the most frequently cited. In its pure form, it’s non-caloric and doesn’t affect glucose levels, an advantage for diabetics and hypoglycemics. Also, it has no carbohydrates or fat, so it’s great for dieters, especially those watching carb intake. Unlike artificial sweeteners, high quality stevia has little aftertaste when measured properly. It has no known side effects like some chemical sweeteners and has been safely consumed around the world for decades. Actually, stevia’s original medicinal uses date back centuries ago with the Paraguan Indians who mixed the herb in teas for its healing properties. Since stevia is sugar-free, candida sufferers can use it. Health conscious consumers take advantage of stevia to avoid sugar and help prevent diabetes and obesity. The website www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, under the direction of the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine and National Center of Biotechnology Information, offers abstracts from stevia studies that indicate it may also aid in lowering blood pressure and regulating glucose levels.

What is the daily suggested dose of Stevia?

Stevia is extremely sweet so only a very little amount is needed to sweeten your chosen beverage. For example, to sweeten a cup of tea try wetting a toothpick in your tea, after shaking off the excess liquid, dip the toothpick into the powdered stevia extract to a depth of about 1/8 inch. Stir the toothpick with clinging stevia powder into your tea and then stir with a spoon. You can adjust your measure of stevia up or down by dipping the toothpick less or more to your individual tastes. For baking recipes or gallon sized mixed drinks requiring more stevia you can use a small fraction of a 1/8th teaspoon measuring spoon. Wal-mart sells a very small measuring spoon set called Dash, Pinch, Smidgen Measuring Spoons. These spoons are 1/8th, 1/16th, and 1/32nd teaspoon measures respectively. You'll need to experiment to discover your personal taste equivalency, but somewhere around 1/32nd teaspoon will be approximately equivalent to 1 ounce of sugar in your favorite recipes. You can see the full bulk density/volumetric conversion chart for Stevia here.

Safety and Potential side effects of Stevia

In general, Stevia is an all-natural herbal product with centuries of safe usage by native Indians in Paraguay. It has been thoroughly tested in dozens of tests around the world and found to be completely non-toxic. It has also been consumed safely in massive quantities (Thousands of tons annually) for the past twenty years, and no indications of any significant side effects have yet been reported after more than 20 years of use. Stevia rebaudiana has been used as a sweetening ingredient in foods and drinks by South American natives for many centuries, and there is no report of any plant toxicity to the consumers. Stevia has been added to a number of food products in Japan since the mid 1970s. Similarly, no reports of any adverse reactions have been reported in the United States. There are no indications at this point from any source that stevia has shown toxicity in humans.

Taste, solubility, and suggested preparation of Stevia

Stevia, of course, is very sweet, and it only has a minimal aftertaste. A study done in 1977 indicates that the quality of sweetness of stevia is preferable to that of aspartame or saccharin. A study conducted in Japan in 1976 found that pure stevia extract was 300 times as sweet as sucrose (or table sugar) at 0.4 percent sucrose concentration, and 100 times sweeter when compared to a 10 percent concentration.

Since extracted white stevia powder is so intensely sweet, we recommend that it be mixed with water and the solution used by the drop. You can dissolve 1 teaspoon of the powder with 3 tablespoons of filtered or sterile water. Once mixed, this solution should be stored in the refrigerator. You can then use it whenever you need a splash of sweetening when cooking. Generally one teaspoonful of this liquid solution, also called a 'working solution,' is roughly equivalent to one cup of sugar.

Stevia can be used as a healthy substitute in most sugar applications, including baking and cooking since it is heat stable. Unlike artificial sweeteners, the sweet glycosides do not break down in heat which makes Stevia an excellent sweetener for cooking and baking. The average conversion rate of sugar to stevia is one cup of sugar per one teaspoonful of pure stevia extract. Clearly very little stevia is needed to replace sugar. When used in beverages, stevia dissolves quickly and easily and, depending on your taste preference, only a pinch is needed

Stevia is used in the following Proprietary Formulas

The Food and Drug Administration has declared the herb stevia safe for use in foods and beverages, which Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and other companies to market it in a variety of products. Coke introduced a reduced-calorie version of Sprite, called Sprite Green, and some Odwalla juice drinks with stevia extract. Pepsi has SoBe Lifewater, and an orange-juice drink called Trop50, containing half the calories and sugar of orange juice. Other products include Optimum 100% NATURAL Whey, PVL Whey Gourmet, CytoSport Muscle Milk Naturals, SGN Nutrition Emerald Balance, NOW Organic Stevia Extract, NOW Xylitol Plus, Optimum Stevia Liquid Extract TwinPak, Krisda Stevia Extract, NOW French Vanilla Stevia Extract, Optimum Stevia Powder.

References & Further Research

Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects
Stevioside is present in the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Extracts of stevia have been used for the treatment of diabetes in, for example, Brazil, although a positive effect on glucose metabolism has not been unequivocally demonstrated. We studied the acute effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic patients. We hypothesize that supplementation with stevia stevioside to a test meal causes a reduction in postprandial blood glucose. In conclusion, stevioside reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients, indicating beneficial effects on the glucose metabolism. Overall data suggests Stevia Stevioside may be advantageous in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: a two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled study
Stevioside, a natural glycoside isolated from the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, has been used as a commercial sweetening agent in Japan and Brazil for over 20 years. Previous animal and human studies have indicated that stevioside (stevia) has an antihypertensive effect. This study was undertaken to investigate the long-term (2-year) efficacy and tolerability of stevia in patients with mild essential hypertension. This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Chinese men and women aged between 20 and 75 years with mild essential hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP] 140-159 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] 90-99 mm Hg). In this 2-year study in Chinese patients with mild hypertension, oral stevia significantly decreased SBP and DBP compared with placebo. QOL was improved, and no significant adverse effects were noted.

Stevia lowers blood pressure: A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral stevioside in human hypertension
A multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was undertaken. This study group consisted of 106 Chinese hypertensive subjects with diastolic blood pressure between 95 and 110 mmHg and ages ranging from 28 to 75 years with 60 subjects (men 34, women 26) allocated to active treatment and 46 (men 19, women 27) to placebo treatment. After 3 months, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the stevia group decreased significantly and the effect persisted during the whole year. No significant adverse effect was observed and quality of life assessment showed no deterioration. This study shows that oral stevia is a well tolerated and effective modality that may be considered as an alternative or supplementary therapy for patients with hypertension.

Stevia for International Customers

We have the most economical shipping costs & labeling practices for International orders. You can see our shipping costs here. Also, please note, that anything in a 1.5kg package can be shipped within a single flat rate envelope, however our shopping cart mistakenly displays 2 envelopes. Go ahead and ship the order, and you will notice that it only charges you the cost of 1 anyway. Look at the shipping costs tab above to see for yourself how you can calculate these charges.

Buying Stevia Bulk or Wholesale

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